Ogilvy, Organic, Everyone Else Drop Their Pants for Depend

How far would you go to sell a pitch? For the creative team behind the new advertising campaign from Depend, the answer is “down to the ankles.”

At least that’s what Ogilvy team members Calle Sjoeneel (CCO), Victoria Azarian (GCD), and Danielle Vieth did when they went to pitch the “Underwareness” campaign to Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Depend adult diapers incontinence products: after the opening notes of “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited started playing, all dropped to their skivvies to reveal they were wearing Depend undergarments.

“It’s time to bring it out in the open — it’s time to drop your pants for Underwareness. A cause to support the over 65 million people who may need Depend underwear. Show them they’re not alone, and show off a pair of Depend, because wearing a different kind of underwear is no big deal.”

“It was a pretty amazing moment,” Ms. Azarian said.

The goal of the campaign, which debuts today and aims at consumers under 50, is to reduce the stigma of such products by showing that bladder incontinence happens more often than most people realize (and to people younger than the AARP set).

Perhaps that’s something Depend hopes to clear up with the accompanying social media campaign, which encourages users who are not incontinent (and presumably not crazy) to post a photo of themselves wearing the products to their social networks in a gesture of solidarity. For every photo, video or message that is posted to social networks and to YouTube using the hashtags #Underwareness or #DropYourPants, the brand will donate $1, up to a total of $3 million, to the Simon Foundation for Continence and the United Way Worldwide.

Will they reach their goal?

Spot: “Drop Your Pants City”

Client: Depend®

Ogilvy & Mather, New York

Chief Creative Officer: Calle Sjoenell

Group Creative Director: Victoria Azarian

Creative Director (art): Natalie Fevig

Creative Director (copy): Danielle Vieth

Producer: Melanie Baublis / Lauren Ziffer

President GBM: Jaime Prieto

Executive Group Director: Tara Allerton

Account Director: Christina Montero

Account Executive: Suzanne Roath

Head Planner: Katie Moran

Senior Planner: Sura Zaatari

Director: Scott Vincent

Production Company: Hungry Man

Editorial: Tom Scherma, Cosmo Street

Music Production: Chris Mazur Ogilvy&Mather, Ben Lindell and Doug Larsen, East Midwest Music